People of Dehradun protesting against the Jolly Grant Airport’s expansion- Thano protest

As per the PTI report in 2020 Uttarakhand government has searched for the National Wildlife Board’s approval to transfer the 243 acres of Thano forest land to the Airport Authority of India.

The airport’s expansion is a part of the international facility as Uttarakhand shares its border with China.

As soon as the news was surfaced among the people, hundreds were gathered outside the Airport to illustrate against the proposed cutting of more than 10,000 trees in the Thano range.

People followed the years-old Chipko movement to protect the trees from cutting down. These trees of the Thano jungle which have been proposed to fall off are part of Rajaji National Park and it also falls within a 3kms radius of elephant corridors.

We see Dehradun being the area of the delicate region. Here natural calamities are very frequent. Also, experts have warned of severe damage to the region. The frequent disasters that too because of the continued projects like the widening of roads, continuous construction, urban development, residential projects have harmed the area in anyways.

Considering the two-way effects of all these projects it is easy to know that however, it’s beneficial for the growing economy of the region but in a wider sense it does not fit the place.

Environmentalists have been criticizing the projects because, in return, it is harming the biodiversity of Dehradun.

Last week the Uttarakhand High Court directed the Chief wildlife warden to present a detailed report on steps, the wildlife board has taken to preserve Shivalik Elephant Reserve also asked why Jolly Grant Airport could not be expanded in a manner that doesn’t harm the Shivalik Elephant Reserve.

Well we see a sign of victory.

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